The Trip to Chicago

I had a wonderful time with the Matt and Jessica this weekend. They really are well behaved and it was a such a treat for me. We didn't leave quite as early as planned due to a flat tire on Julie's car. Better hers than mine, huh? The good thing is that Jason lives just a few blocks from me and he came back over to rescue his sister and change her tire, after just dropping Jessica off here. Finally, we were on our way and made it to the Museum of Science and Industry without too much trouble. The favorite part of it for the kids was the Flight Simulator. There's a video camera inside and we were able to see them during their ride. They enjoyed the airplane also. Here's Matt posing for a shot on the plane.



The trip from the museum to our hotel - 38 miles - took about 2 hours. Bumper to bumper traffic for all but the last 15 minutes or so. How many times did I hear, "Are we there yet?" I have no idea, but a lot. Finally, we arrived at the hotel, got checked in and went upstairs to get dressed for the water park. Oh-oh, Jessica didn't have her bathing suit. She thought she packed it! I called the front desk to inquire about shopping locally and was told they have swimwear in the gift shop downstairs. So, down we go, to buy her the most expensive swim suit she has ever owned. But, after that long drive, I was happy to not have to get in the car and drive, who knows how far, to find a store and then, hmmmm, how many stores have swimsuits on their racks at this time of the year in Chicago?

Saturday morning we headed over to LegoLand. A nice place to visit with a walking tour and also a train ride tour. Of course, lots of Legos to purchase also.



Then we headed up to Wisconsin to the Jelly Belly Factory and the Mars Cheese Castle. We came home with lots of Belly Flops (irregular Jelly Bellys) and Cheese Curds.

Back to the water park for more fun and even the hot tub and a glass of Merlot for me. Then dinner again from the Pizza Hut/A&W which is located right inside the park.

Sunday morning bright and early we were up and on our way back downtown to the skydeck of the Sears Tower. After that we walked to Garrett's Popcorn shop to get some special ordered carmel corn for Julie.



The last stop was, of course, Fair Oaks farm to get some ice cream. The line inside for cones stretched the length of the building, so we bought a couple pints and headed for home.



It was a great weekend for me and I hope we made some lasting memories and that Matt and Jessica enjoyed their Fall break.